I guess we start this year with optimism and yet less certainty than we would normally do. I know most of my friends are much more likely to say ‘If I can…’ rather than ‘I intend to…’ when it comes to personal plans and projects. 2020 was a stark reminder of both how resourceful and how powerless we are as individuals and as humanity. So, within this ongoing unusual context, I wish you all the very best for 2021. Over ...
In my article last week, I explored the emotions that people in our workplaces are feeling right now – fear, sadness, anger, guilt and, of course, there’s happiness as well. This week, I’m turning the focus onto those who are leading in our workplaces. Over the summer, I checked in with business leaders to find out how they were faring. The most common answer was ‘I’m fine.’ However, it wasn’t unusual for these same leaders to express concerns about the ...
Well, December has arrived. It’s an auspicious month; one that brings Hanukkah and Christmas festivities, one that heralds the end of the calendar year. Here in the UK we’re hunkering down in the depth of winter, while in Australia people are looking forward to summer and the long school break. In the workplace, it’s a time for year-end accounts, budgeting, performance reviews, bonus announcements, objective setting… December isn’t just another month. And, for that reason, it’s a month of heightened ...
It’s Annual Performance Review time of year again for many organisations. APRs are amongst those conversations that everyone involved should welcome because of the value they bring. Instead, far too often people dread them. In fact, according to a 2019 Gallup report ‘only 14% of employees strongly agree their performance reviews inspire them to improve. In other words, if performance reviews were a drug, they would not meet FDA approval for efficacy.’ Now, if I were to ask you to list ...
Heather here. Have you ever bought something in the supermarket that you didn’t actually need or want just because it was on offer? Have you ever exceeded the speed limit a little just because everyone else around you was doing so? Have you ever aimed at a fly in a urinal just because – well – just because it was there? I’m guessing your answers to the first two questions are “yes”. And most likely the answer to the third ...
You know the saying ‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast’? Well, I’d like to create a saying too, although not sure it will ever become as well-known as Peter Drucker’s. Mine? ‘Strategy eats goals for a mid-afternoon snack.’ Actually, I should probably change that to ‘Strategies to achieve the goals eat the goals themselves for a mid-afternoon snack’ but that’s not so snappy, is it? And while I can’t lay claim to developing the original idea, I do love it because ...